


Some Seasons

by sophinisba



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Bag End, Cooking, Gen, Living Together, Post-Quest, Pregnancy, The Shire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-01
Updated: 2008-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-02 23:24:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13328628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophinisba/pseuds/sophinisba
Summary: The three of them take turns with the cooking.





	Some Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as part of the _For Lorie_ project, a book of fanfic and art for our friend Laura Mason (lorie945 on livejournal), who was fighting ovarian cancer. I am grateful to Baranduin for organizing this project, and to Dana and Claudia603 for betaing this story.

Of the three of them, Rosie was by far the best cook, and it had been a pleasure, in those first months after the wedding, to let her have her way with Bag End's kitchen and the most fruitful summer the Shire had seen in anyone's memory, with red cherries and raspberries, cool cucumbers on hot days, tomatoes swelled near to bursting on the vine or in the salad.

One night she asked Frodo why he always drank water with his meals and not beer or wine.

"Because," said Frodo, who had realized by then that he had no reason to keep anything secret from the two of them, "there was a time when I thought I'd never again have the pleasure of drinking fresh water, and now I mean to savor it."

"I like to savor it too," said Sam, "but I like an ale even better." They all laughed.

Then autumn grew into winter and Rosie's hunger grew with the baby in her belly, but it seemed her energy had gone away with the warm weather. Nor did she feel much better in the spring.

Frodo had never felt he had much talent for cooking, but as a bachelor he'd always managed to feed himself, and as a friend he was happy to do his part. He and Sam took turns, and no one ever complained.

* * *

Except one night in early April, when Frodo woke up shivering after a bad dream, went into the kitchen and found Rosie sitting at the table, eating honey out of the jar and crying.

She dried her tears quietly while he poured some milk for himself and set it over the fire.

"Is there anything I can do?" Frodo asked, sitting down next to her.

She shook her head. "Daisy says it's normal. Can't say I feel normal though. Mostly just feel fat and useless. I'm meant to be taking care of you, the two of you, and here you are –"

"Making meals that aren't as tasty as yours?"

"Well. Or that aren't satisfying when all I want is honey or pickles." She laughed. "Would you like some, by the way?" She held out the spoon.

"No, thank you."

She ate another spoonful. "You do a fine job, Frodo, and so does Sam. I'm just not used to being waited on. It doesn't sit well with me."

"Well, we have to take turns. On the quest there were times when I wouldn't have thought to eat at all if Sam hadn't seen to it for me." 

"Did he do a good job?"

Frodo shrugged his shoulders. "I've no idea how any of it tasted, but he kept me alive. That's just how it works, I think. In some seasons we're stronger. We help each other when we can."

"I'm glad that he was there to help you." She pushed the honey jar away, her craving apparently satisfied. "You won't tell him I was crying?"

"No, Rose."

"Thank you for that. I understand, you know."

"What?"

"Water is enough. If this child gets herself born and water still tastes like water afterwards, that'll be enough."

Just then Sam came in to join them, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"I hope we didn't wake you," Rosie said.

Sam shook his head. "Too cold in the bed without you."

"Have some warm milk then," said Frodo, and he stood and went to the stove while Sam sat down next to his wife and put his arms around her. Frodo poured three cups and stirred a bit of honey into each. "Water would be enough, but since this is here we might as well enjoy it."

Sam got out some leftovers from supper and the three of them stayed up and talked until their cups were empty and their stomachs were full. Then they went to their beds and slept, and for the rest of the night Frodo's heart felt warm, and his dreams were sweet as Rosie's tired smile.


End file.
